San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are a National Hockey League team based in San Jose, California.

Franchise history

Although Northern California was a hotbed of hockey in the latter part of the Original Six era, starting with the 1967 season, the first attempt to bring NHL hockey to the region was a dismal failure. The Oakland Seals were one of the six expansion teams added, but weren't very successful. In 1976, the Seals were sold to Cleveland businessmen George and Gordon Gund and moved to Cleveland, where they became the Barons. After two more money-losing years, the Gunds merged the Barons with the Minnesota North Stars. The Gunds emerged as the owners of the North Stars as part of the deal.

Related Topics:
Original Six - Oakland Seals - 1976 - Cleveland - George - Gordon Gund - Minnesota North Stars

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The Gunds had long wanted to bring hockey back to the Bay Area, and asked the NHL for permission to move the North Stars there. The NHL vetoed the move, but as a compromise allowed the Gunds to dissolve the North Stars-Barons merger and take some of the North Stars players to the Bay Area. In return, the North Stars would be allowed to participate as an equal partner in an expansion draft with the new Bay Area team.

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On May 5, 1990, the Gunds officially sold their share of the North Stars and were awarded a new team in the Bay Area, based in San Jose. Over 5000 entries were submitted by mail for the new team. While the first-place finisher was "Blades," the Gunds were concerned about the name's negative connotations (weapons, etc) and went with the runner-up, "Sharks." The name was inspired by the large number of sharks living in the Pacific Ocean. Seven different varieties live there, and one portion near the Bay Area is known as the "red triangle" because of its shark population. The team's first marketing head, Matt Levine, said of the new name, "Sharks are relentless, determined, swift, agile, bright and fearless. We plan to build an organization that has all those qualities."

Related Topics:
May 5 - Shark - Pacific Ocean - Bay Area

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For their first two seasons, the Sharks played at the Cow Palace in Daly City, just outside San Francisco. During this time, under coach George Kingston, they were one of the worst teams in the NHL, as often happens to expansion teams. In 1992-93 they set three single-season NHL records--71 losses, a 17-game losing streak, and earning a mere 29 points in the standings.

Related Topics:
Cow Palace - Daly City - San Francisco - George Kingston - Expansion team - 1992-93

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For their third season, 1993-94, the Sharks moved to their current home, the HP Pavilion (known as the San Jose Arena until 2001). Under head coach Kevin Constantine, the Sharks pulled off the biggest turnaround in NHL history, finishing with a 33-35-16 record, making the playoffs with 82 points--a 58-point jump from the previous season. They were seeded 8th in the Western Conference playoffs and faced the Detroit Red Wings, winners of the President's Trophy as the team with the best record in the league. San Jose would defeat Detroit in seven games, becoming the first team in NHL history to knock out a President's Trophy winner in the first round of the playoffs. They repeated this feat against the St. Louis Blues in 1999-2000, and remain the only team to have done this. In the second round, the Sharks had a 3-2 lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs, but lost the final two games in Toronto; including a double-overtime loss in Game 6.

Related Topics:
1993-94 - HP Pavilion - 2001 - Kevin Constantine - Detroit Red Wings - President's Trophy - St. Louis Blues - 1999-2000 - Toronto Maple Leafs

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In 1994-95, the Sharks returned to the playoffs and made the second round as well. Ray Whitney scored a goal in double overtime of Game 7 of the conference quarterfinals against the Calgary Flames, adding to Calgary's streak of not winning a playoff series after they won the 1988-89 Stanley Cup (a streak they wouldn't break until 2004). Key Sharks players were goalie Arturs Irbe, defensemen Sandis Ozolinsh and forwards Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov.

Related Topics:
1994-95 - Ray Whitney - Calgary Flames - Stanley Cup - 2004 - Arturs Irbe - Sandis Ozolinsh - Igor Larionov - Sergei Makarov

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In 1995-96, the Sharks finished last in the Pacific Division and failed to make the playoffs. The team also underwent major changes: During the season they traded Ozolinsh and Larionov; Irbe, who had suffered an off-ice injury, was released at the end of the season. The team began rebuilding, acquiring forward Owen Nolan from the Colorado Avalanche, as well as several other players. Constantine was fired midway through the season and replaced by interim coach Jim Wiley. The next season was no better under Al Sims, with the Sharks also finishing last and winning only 27 games.

Related Topics:
1995-96 - Owen Nolan - Colorado Avalanche - Jim Wiley - Next season - Al Sims

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The Sharks returned to the playoffs in 1997-98, with goalie Mike Vernon, whom they acquired from the Red Wings (the season after Vernon won the Conn Smythe Trophy), and new head coach Darryl Sutter. For the next 5 years, the Sharks made the playoffs, yet never advanced past the second round. The team finally posted a winning record in 1999-2000, the same year they upset the Blues in the first round. In the 2000-01 season, Russian goalie Evgeni Nabokov won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie. The team also acquired Finnish star forward Teemu Selanne from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who played for the team until 2003.

Related Topics:
1997-98 - Mike Vernon - Conn Smythe Trophy - Darryl Sutter - 2000-01 season - Russia - Evgeni Nabokov - Calder Memorial Trophy - Finnish - Teemu Selanne - Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

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The team's breakout year was 2001-02. The Sharks won their first Pacific Division title, but again failed to make the second round. Following that season, the Gunds sold the Sharks to a group of local investors headed by team president Greg Jamison. The transition caused the team to miss the playoffs in 2002-03. Sutter was fired and replaced by Ron Wilson midway through that season.

Related Topics:
2001-02 - Greg Jamison - 2002-03 - Ron Wilson

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2003-04 saw another turnaround for the team, resulting in the team's best season ever. They posted the third-best record in the league with a team-record 104 points (31 more than the previous season--the first time the team had earned 100 points), won the Pacific Division championship, and were seeded second in the Western Conference. They charged through the playoffs; taking down the Blues 4 games to 1 in the conference quarterfinals and stopping the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in the conference semis—before falling to the Calgary Flames 4-2 in the conference finals.

Related Topics:
2003-04 - Colorado Avalanche - Calgary Flames

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The Sharks, along with the NBA's Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets, are often characterized with popularizing teal as a color for American sports teams. Their team merchandise remains popular around the world. They are also sometimes referred to as Los Tiburones (their name in Spanish.)

Related Topics:
NBA - Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets - Teal - Spanish

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